A Healthy Dose of Jealousy
by C. L. Kellen
Summary: Ichijou isn't happy with the way Shiki ignores Rima's feelings so he decides to give their love a little boost...but can 'a little boost' be too much? IchijouXRima RimaXShiki -R&R-
1. Serious Discussions and Surprises

_Revised version: as of July 2011_

_The revisions I've made on this story mostly adds more fluff and details to the plot...oh_, _and I also changed various parts of the plot. So if you haven't read the July version, I highly recommend you do so!_

_Have fun, enjoy, review. Thanks!_

__**Kuro-chan**

* * *

**A Healthy Dose of Jealousy**

**Chapter One: Serious Discussions and Surprises**

"Rima?" He whispered quiet to the girl that was supposed to be asleep in his arms, "Are you awake yet?"

"Mmm?" Rima opened her bright blue eyes lazily against his chest. "Shiki, why don't you sleep anymore? When did you start waking up this early?"

"Sorry, I couldn't fall asleep," Shiki smiled and then proceeded to stoking Rima's orange-blonde hair. "You're so soft."

"Mmm."

Silence.

"Rima?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you think I should go talk to Ichijou?"

"About what?"

"You know, this whole thing. I mean, I got what I wanted, right? But what about him? I still want to be friends with him even though I've been acting like a selfish jerk for the past two weeks." Shiki subconsciously traced a finger down where the vein in Rima's neck would be. She shivered at his touch and snuggled closer to him.

"Stop it Shiki, that tickles."

Shiki felt a wave of satisfaction and happiness wash over him. It was incredible how different he felt now than how he felt just a couple of days ago. Then, he was lying awake at night regretting how he had acted his entire life and now he had his best friend reciprocating the feelings he had denied for so long.

"Oh, sorry." Pause. Shiki gave Rima another nuzzle to which Rima rewarded him with a small laugh. "Can I have some blood?"

Rima groaned, "It's too early Shiki…"

"Please?"

"I don't know…we'll wake up the others." She blushed as she said it, which made Shiki love her all the better.

"Pretty please?"

"You're so spoiled Shiki," Rima teased.

"It's only when I'm with you."

**XkurochanX**

_The story begins two weeks before…_

After class every day, Senri Shiki and Takuma Ichijou can always be found in their room reading something. Ichijou would probably be reading one of his many ordered manga if not helping Kaname-sama and Shiki would be scanning though random magazines looking for pictures of himself and his modeling partner to add to his collection on the wall. Sometimes, when Ichijou read something good, he would recommend it to his friend by throwing the comic across the room. Shiki wasn't particularly interested in manga so he became adroit in dodging books aimed at his head. Occasionally, they would be visited by Aidou and Kain for updates on dorm stats or their best friend, Rima Touya.

The two followed this routine everyday so Shiki was surprised one night when Ichijou put down his manga and asked, "Shiki, Valentine's Day is coming up."

Without looking up from his magazines, Shiki grunted a reply.

Ichijou sat up on his bed, obviously not satisfied with this answer, "Are you thinking of giving someone anything special?"

Shiki flipped a page, "Sorry Ichijou, I'm not interested in giving you or Aidou chocolates."

Ichijou sighed and spoke as if Shiki was a little boy, "No, no, no Senri. I don't need chocolates; I was actually thinking of a girl this time."

"Actually?" Shiki raised an eyebrow, "Wow, that tend to happen…once a never."

"Very funny Senri."

Silence.

"Are you not curious who I'm thinking of?"

No reply.

"Shiki! I will ask Kain to burn up all of your magazines."

Shiki's deadly blue pupils moved from the magazine to Ichijou, remembering what happened last time the vice-president used that threat. "Okay, talk. Who are you thinking of?"

"Rima," Ichijou smiled innocently.

Shiki rolled his eyes. "Dude, I'm not interested in Rima. I mean, we've lived with each other for practically our entire lives. She's almost like my sister. And plus, if I give chocolates to her, I bet she'll freak out."

Ichijou frowned, "Shiki, how clueless can you be? I'm pretty sure everyone in the moon dorm predicts that the two of you are going to get married."

Shiki rolled his eyes, but the blush was starting to slowly creep up on his cheeks. "You're ridiculous Ichijou. Why don't you leave the match-making to Ruka?"

"You like her don't you?"

Shiki answered without even bothering to look up. "Not that way."

"Bullshit."

"No, it's actual real shit this time Ichijou. Now stop badgering me and get back to your manga."

"She likes you, you know?" Ichijou muttered quietly from his side of the room. Hearing no reaction from Shiki, Ichijou continued, "She's had a crush on you since the first moment she's met you."

Shiki set his magazine down and pulled a blanket over himself to get ready to go to sleep. "Now you're bluffing Ichijou. I met Rima when we were like…three. Vampires don't fall in love when they're three; they need to grow fangs in order to begin the process of attraction. You obviously haven't been paying attention in psychology."

"Stop with whole psychology crap." Ichijou snapped, "Do you have feelings for her or not? You keep denying it, but I think the entire Night Class has seen the way you stare at Rima when you think she isn't looking and the way you play with her hair."

"I play with her hair? Weird. I never knew that." Absentmindedly, he shrugged, "So what if I think she's attractive?"

Ichijou rolled his eyes, "Well then, get her chocolates or pocky on Valentine's Day. Or…" he winked, "Why not ask her out?"

"Ichijou, just cut the crap. I said 'I think she's attractive'. Attractive is different from liking her. I mean, I also think Ruka's pretty attractive and I'm not getting Ruka chocolates."

"That's only because Ruka chases after Kaname while everyone that looks at her might end up as Akatsuki's barbecue. But even still, the way you look at Rima is different than Ruka-"

"My point is," Shiki cut Ichijou off, a little annoyed, "I don't like Rima more than a friend and vice versa."

Ichijou snorted. "You're hilarious Shiki. Are you sure Rima doesn't have any feelings for you that are more than friendship? Haven't you noticed how much Rima always admires and follows you around? And when we had our first private tutor? Wasn't she the one that always had your favorite snacks with her?"

"It could also be a coincidence that she happens to be interested in the same things as I am."

"I think you're just afraid to admit it."

There was a long pause before Shiki answered quietly, "I don't want to exacerbate my current relationship with Rima, Ichijou. I guess maybe later it would be appropriate if we dated, but right now, I feel like Rima wouldn't want that." Then, he went back to sleep as if nothing happened.

Ichijou sighed desperately, "Shiki, my friend, in this world, women don't last forever, especially attractive ones like Rima. Don't you think you're being a little cruel for ignoring her feelings? What if she really wants to be more than friends with you?" Noticing that Shiki wasn't really paying any attention anymore, Ichijou picked up his manga and threw it at his dorm mate's head, "Hey! I'm talking to you! Are you even listening?"

Shiki dodged the manga by rolling over to one side and lazily scratched his head, "Just go back to reading your manga, Ichijou. This isn't any of your business anyways."

Ichijou, annoyed at how this conversation had taken a turn, fingered through his hair in aggravation, "But Rima likes you and you know it! You know she's not going to wait for you forever."

Shiki stretched and let out an exaggerated yawn, which only infuriated Ichijou more, "I know, I know. I'll think about it in a couple years or so…I'm just not going to bother worrying about it now." And before Shiki knew it, Ichijou was next to him, shaking his shoulders as if Shiki had completely lost his mind or something.

For the first time since the two of them became best friends, Ichijou looked like he wanted to hit Shiki with all his vampire powers put together, "Wake up to reality, Shiki! Rima is a cute girl with a pure heart. Are you seriously telling me that you're going to wait for a couple years? She'll probably be taken from you in _a couple years_! Maybe even married in a couple of years"

Shiki sat up suddenly so that his cold blue eyes were at the same level as Ichijou's green ones. In a harsh tone, he growled, "Ichijou. You have gone a little too far over the line. I believe the situation with Rima rests on my hands, not yours. Stop sticking your nose in other people's businesses where it doesn't belong."

Ichijou raised an eyebrow and asked, "You're afraid of that happening aren't you? You want to keep Rima to yourself, yet you refuse to confess to her?"

Shiki grab the first magazine and jacket within his reach and headed towards the door. The cold glare that was directed at Ichijou made him see how Shiki was related to the Kurans. Out of annoyance, Shiki decided to end the problem altogether. "I'm going to sleep somewhere else tonight." With that, Shiki slammed the door shut and left Ichijou alone in the room.

As the sun fell into the other side of the world, Ichijou sighed and let himself fall back on his bed. "'I can take care of myself perfectly fine', huh?" he muttered to himself, "We'll see about that Shiki. You say it's none of my business, but what if I am really involved in this complication. What would you do then Shiki?"

**XkurochanX**

Shiki, unsuccessful in finding an empty dorm to sleep in, found himself in the main commons of moon dorm. There was a nice lavender-colored sofa in the center of the room lined with lavender pillows. Shiki suspected that Aidou slept here a lot. He shuddered a little bit under his thin gray jacket he had taken out of the room. The spacious room was draining his body temperature and Shiki felt stupid for forgetting to bring a blanket with him out here. He closed his eyes and decided it would be best if he didn't go back to his dorm and ask Ichijou for something to keep him from suffering from hypothermia. Of course, Shiki had his pride to protect. He would rather have Aidou freeze him for a week rather than letting chagrin be brought upon him. It was shameful for him to walk back for something as silly as a blanket after walking out on his best friend.

Deep down, he actually felt really bad for having such an argument with Ichijou, but he just seriously hated it when people talked about Rima…especially him and Rima. He understood the fact that the entire Night Class noticed that he spent an exceptional amount of time with her, but he wasn't quite sure what he thought of their relationship yet. Were they really friends? Or were they something more?

Shiki's thoughts were disturbed as a girl with unbearably sweet, tasty blood crept down the stair. He could recognize her presence anywhere. One whiff of her scent made him drunk with the desire of her blood. Did he like her? Did he really want something more than just friendship with her? "Rima, what are you doing so late at night?" He opened his eyes a crack to catch a glimpse of her bright orange hair moving down the stairs and advance towards him.

Rima crept over and sat down next to him. The female vampire was wearing a light purple night gown that was adorned with white laces on the brim. Shiki recognized the cloth from their last photo shoot. Rima also had her hair down, which partially blocked out the scent of her blood, but not by much. "I was getting a drink of water and plus, Kain wanted to visit Ruka, which basically means I have to leave since they usually have their 'important business' to talk about." She looked over him curiously as if wondering why he was out here, but decided against asking, "I'm sorry for waking you, Shiki."

Shiki shrugged. "No worries, I wasn't sleeping. You know, sometimes I wonder why you and Kain haven't switched rooms yet."

That brought a smile to Rima's lips. "It's because I don't want to share a room with that annoying cousin of his." Both of them laughed and Rima tilted her head in curiosity, "Is everything alright?"

Shiki stopped smiling. "Uh…for the most part, yes."

Rima raised an eyebrow, "For the most part? So you're not entirely alright? Or are you not alright at all and you just don't want to tell me?"

Shiki shrugged again; that was Rima, always knowing exactly what he's thinking. He knew Rima well enough to know that she wouldn't drop the subject until she knew what was really going on. He sighed, "Ichijou and I had a little talk."

Rima began playing with her hair, a habit she still hasn't broken since they were playing in the sandbox. "Would you care to elaborate?"

"I don't really like the concept of elaboration." He turned away from Rima so that his eyes wouldn't be the object of Rima's disapproving glare.

Rima narrowed her eyes, "Don't you dare give me that Senri Shiki. I can tell when something is upsetting you; did you and Ichijou get into a fight or something?"

"I guess…I don't know…" Shiki didn't want to answer her questions; he already knew how upset she gets when the two immature boys fight over something stupid.

Rima sighed, "Well, what was the disagreement?"

There was no reply, and Rima sensed that she wasn't going to get one any time soon.

"Fine, don't tell me; I'll go ask Ichijou-sama what happened."

"Rima, seriously. You're just as nosy as Ichijou; it's so annoying. Can't you just stay out of our business?" Shiki saw the hurt in Rima's eyes, but it only lasted a millisecond before she put up the blank expression on her face.

"I guess that's what sucks about being friends with two guys, huh? I'm usually the one that's not included in boy-talks." Her voice was cold and Shiki almost reconsidered telling her the truth.

However, Rima didn't persist on the topic any further and instead focused on him. She put a hand on Shiki's forehead and lightly brushed his messy hair while wearing her blank mask. "Aren't you cold? Do you want me to get you a blanket or something?"

Shiki shrugged and Rima took that as a 'yes' so as to not destroy Shiki's ego any further tonight. "I'll be right back. Use my bathrobe for now so you don't get cold, Shiki." She tossed him her robe and headed up the stairs before Shiki had a chance to object.

He took her dark purple robes and pressed his nose in it. It smelled just like her: the scent of white lilies and the mango peach shampoo she uses every night. Without warning, his blue irises turned bright red and his fangs elongated in his mouth so that his could feel them on his bottom lip. Funny, just a second ago, he wasn't even considering the possibility that he was hungry. With great effort, Shiki stopped himself from sinking his fangs in Rima's bathrobe. How awkward would it be if Rima came back with a blanket and found two holes in her clothes?

Shiki began to seriously consider what he and Ichijou had discussed earlier that evening. Should he do something about him and Rima? The entire night class knows that they like each other? And the most important question that haunted him: Maybe what Ichijou said about her was right: she might seriously be taken by another guy right before me. Should he take Ichijou's suggestion and start building a relationship with her?

He could imagine the conversation right now:

"_Rima, you know when you asked me what was wrong before and I said nothing? Well, I lied."_

"_Huh, I figured as much."_

"_Well, to tell you the truth, I actually really like you. No, not as a friend, but as a man likes a woman."_

"_Shiki, I feel like it would be best if we still remained as friends. However, if you are that attached to me, I feel like it might be best if we stopped seeing each other, okay?"_

It would be a disaster.

Shiki chuckled to himself for thinking up of such as scenario and closed his eyes as he fantasized about what would happen if he and Rima were actually dating. Then the two of them could hold hands while going to classes and he would have someone soft to cuddle with at night. He would also get to drink her blood. That brought a shiver up his spine.

Rima took longer than Shiki had expected to return with the blanket. When she came down, she had an odd expression on her face that Shiki had never seen before. He was worried for her now and couldn't help asking, "Is something bothering you, Rima?"

Rima replied with a nervous giggle and an absent tap of her head, "No, I'm fine Shiki." Shiki raised an eyebrow; if she claimed herself 'fine' so quickly after he asked meant that she wasn't 'fine' at all.

"Rima," Shiki caught her arm as she was about to go, "Are you telling me the truth?"

Rima looked down and blushed, "No," she answered quietly and truthfully, "but I don't think it's something you should worry about." She wouldn't lie to him. She couldn't lie to him.

After that, she left him to sleep by himself without another word.

**XkurochanX**

An excited Aidou shook Shiki awake in the morning. Shiki groaned and put another pillow over his eyes to block the light of the setting sun from his face. "Shiki! Tell me what happened last night!"

A dazed, puzzled, and sleepy Shiki rubbed his eyes and turned over so his back was to Aidou. Barely audible, he muttered, "Go back to sleep Aidou. I was having this amazing dream about pocky before you woke me up."

Aidou didn't back down, "Oh come on Shiki! Just tell me what happened last night? What did you do to Rima?"

At Rima's name, Shiki's foggy mind cleared up a little. "What are you talking about? Aidou, please sleep-talk when you're asleep and leave me alone."

Aidou scoffed with noble pride. "I am not sleep talking if that's what you're worried about; now answer my question: what did you do to Rima last night?"

"Nothing. Rima only went upstair to get a blanket after I refused to sleep in the same room as Ichijou."

Aidou frowned as he was doing some deep analysis. "Are you sure that was everything? No missing details? Like, for instance, why did you and Ichijou fight in the first place?"

By now, Shiki was tired of being asked questions about his relationship with his best friends. "Stop trying to get trying to wake me up. I'm pretty sure it's not relevant to you why Ichijou and I fought."

Aidou shrugged innocently, "Okay, then I guess you're not interested in hearing about what happened last night between Rima and Ichijou."

"Rima and Ichijou?"

"Yup. Oh, it's a shame I can't tell you more since you probably want more sleep…" The smirk on Aidou's face drove Shiki crazy.

He frowned at Aidou and threatened, "Tell me what happened or your face might not be in one piece when you meet up with your precious fan girls today, Aidou."

"Okay, okay," Aidou calmed down Shiki and smiled slyly, "It's about Rima and Ichijou."

"Uh-huh, I got that part…"

Aidou's baby blue eyes met Shiki's blue ones, "Yeah, did you know the two of them are dating now?"

* * *

_Thank you so much for reading! Give me some feedbacks! Questions? Comments?_


	2. A Bad Mix of Violence and Anger

**Chapter Two: A Bad Mix of Violence and Anger**

_Let's fast forward two weeks…_

Shiki had Rima pinned down on the bed as he buried his fangs in her neck. With care, as not to hurt her, he began to take little sips of her blood. As he pulled the liquid into his mouth, he could feel Rima's heartbeat accelerating beneath him. And just a couple of minutes ago, she had wanted to go back to sleep.

As he drank more of her blood, her most intimate thoughts began to pass through his mind. She was thinking about the picnic they had a couple days ago when she fell asleep on his lap. Then, her thoughts drastically changed to a scene of him kissing her last night while they were modeling together. That brought on a wave of embarrassment and her cheeks naturally flushed red.

Shiki chuckled at Rima's shyness which brought her thoughts back to their current position. She was now thinking of his fangs in her body and how close to ecstasy it brings her every time they exchange blood…only it would be more comfortable if he dug in just a little deeper…

Shiki bit into her neck with more force, which brought a gasp from Rima's lips.

Shiki smirked, glad that he was the only one that could have such an effect on Rima. He was surprised, however, at how innocent most of Rima's thoughts were. If she had been drinking his blood and reading his thoughts…well, Rima would probably be disgusted with how sex-starved he was. And that was one of the reasons why it has only been Shiki taking the blood in this relationship so far.

Rima had her arms limply around Shiki's neck as she whispered to him, "I'm a little bit thirsty too. Care to share?" Her voice was seductive as she purred into Shiki's ear and a strong desire of his blood flowed his mind as he continued to drink from Rima.

Shiki froze. Not good, probably jinxed it.

Rima continued, "Shouldn't mates be exchanging blood instead of one taking all of it for himself?"

Shiki pulled back and ran his tongue over his bloody lips. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for you to drink my blood yet."

"Oh come on, Shiki. What is there to prepare for?" Rima sat up and leaned closer to Shiki. He noticed a hint of red starting to creep up into Rima's irises as she looked up at him with an innocent smile.

Shiki pulled back a little more, "Trust me Rima, you really don't want to know some of the thoughts that go through my head when I'm with you."

Rima tilted her head, "Oh? Like what?"

Shiki shook his head. "I think we'll need to wait a bit longer before you can drink my blood."

Rima rolled her eyes. "I think I'm prepared enough to read your thoughts."

Again, Shiki shook his head, "You have no idea what you're talking…"

But Rima cut him off. "Oh come on Shiki. I know how a guy's brain works! Ruka has told me all about it: sex, sex, sex, food, and sex."

Shiki turned a little bit red. Now was his turn to defend his gender…only he couldn't think up of a good counterargument. "Rima…I just don't want you to think I'm some sort of perverted freak."

"But I don't think that way. You cared enough for me to chase after me for almost two weeks, Shiki. That means your brain doesn't revolve entirely around having sex with me."

Shiki grimaced, "I don't know about that…"

Rima laughed lightly, "Then why don't we find out?"

**XkurochanX**

_Let's go back…_

Shiki had a very straightforward mind. He only focused on one thing at a time. Currently, his brain was blowing up about Rima and Ichijou, so he wasn't really concerned about the bruise he gave Aidou on his left cheek.

Fast wasn't a good word to describe Shiki as he flew down the halls that lead him to his dorm. His strides were unsteady and his body was burning with rage. If blood had a boiling point, he would have probably been evaporated by now. It was often rumored throughout the Night Class that Shiki was one of the gentlest of the male population…that is…until he explodes. Other night class students who were getting ready for class felt his convoluted aura as he marched down the hallway and decided it would be best for them to take a different route downstairs today.

Upon arrive in front of the last room in the noble vampire hall, the youngest male student in the Night Class kicked the door off its hinges and stared at the blond boy that was putting on his shirt. Ichijou blinked back innocently, "Goodness Senri, hasn't your mother ever taught you to knock?"

Under normal circumstances, Shiki would have laughed at the inside joke Ichijou had for his mother. But now Shiki's reply was cold, "I tend to forget every once in a while when I hear disturbing rumors in the Moon Dorm."

Ichijou sighed, "Well, at least don't kick the door off its hinges. You know how much it costs to repair that?"

"I'm sure we'll manage with my modeling job." Shiki's face was blank and most people wouldn't have even noticed he was made until they saw how cold his eyes were. "Let's change the subject; why don't we discuss these disturbing rumors?"

"What about them?" Ichijou turned back to buttoning up his black vest.

Shiki was struggling to keep calm. "I hear from Aidou that you and Rima are dating." There was a momentary pause as Shiki waited for Ichijou's reply. When it didn't come, he continued, "Is it true?"

Ichijou looped his red tie before answering. "Yes." He flashed his innocent smile. "Is something wrong with that?"

All traces of humor were lost in the conversation.

Shiki took two long strides and grabbed Ichijou by the cuff his shirt. "'Something wrong?' Don't fuck with me. What happened last night?" He could've sworn that there was steam coming out of his ears.

Ichijou raised an eyebrow playfully. "Oh, so who's being nosy now?"

Shiki continued to focus the power of his blue eyes on Ichijou. "Why?" His voice almost cracked.

Ichijou gave Shiki an innocent smile and began putting on his jacket over the vest. "Why don't you ask Rima, yourself?"

Shiki glowered at his friend with loathing and hatred. He could feel himself holding back on punching that smile off of Ichijou's face. For the first time in his life, Senri Shiki felt robbed of something that should have belonged to him. "Rima? Was she the one that initiated this?"

Ichijou stepped around Shiki to grab their Night Class uniform from the closet. "No…"

Shiki clenched his teeth until it hurt, "Then you asked her without even considering…"

Ichijou met his gaze this time, "Without even considering what?" Shiki didn't reply so Ichijou continued, "Let me guess, 'without even considering my feeling'?" Shiki looked away. "Didn't you just tell me last night that you had no feelings for Rima and you only found her…" Ichijou pretended to pause and think, "…attractive?"

Before Shiki could bash Ichijou's head in, the door to their room creaked open slowly and a timid girl with orange pigtails crept in. She didn't dare to push the door too far open in fear that it would tip over. Upon seeing both Shiki and Ichijou in the room, Rima turned and tried to sneak out without being noticed. Shiki grabbed her arm and pulled her in while slammed the door shut to trap Rima against it with his left arm.

Rima didn't dare meet Shiki's gaze as she felt his breath on her neck.

The dark brunette-haired boy grabbed and spun Rima around as he lowered his face inches away from hers. The voice that escaped his throat was one of forced calmness, "Rima, I want an explanation of this."

Rima, trapped against the wall, between Shiki's arms, didn't know what to answer and tried to merge with the door behind her, "I'm sorry, Shiki." Her voice was soft, but Shiki felt like she had just slapped him.

Shiki's nails formed thin lines on the wooden door. "Are you dating Ichijou?"

No answer.

Shiki clenched his jaw and formed a fist with his left hand. "Why did you agree to date him?"

No answer.

Shiki took Rima and shook her violently. "When did you start liking Ichijou?"

No answer.

The frustration cracked through Shiki's wall of calmness. He punched the door next to Rima's head creating a dent in the mahogany wood. "God damn it, answer me, Rima! Answer me!"

Rima shook her head violently and wiped a tear from her eyes. It took her a moment before she could recollect herself enough to answer Shiki. "You ask me when I started liking Ichijou. I will only answer after you tell me when you actually started caring about who I date."

Shiki hesitated for a second. Rima did have a point there. He had absolutely no right in saying who Rima should date or not. "But…you should at least be with someone that's…I don't know…better for you than Ichijou?"

Rima raised her head and met Shiki's eyes. Her jaws were set in her usual obstinate way. "Are you implying that I'm too good for Ichijou? Who else would you recommend?"

This time it was Shiki who remained silent.

"Shiki, Ichijou and I have been friends for a long time." She was playing with her skirt nervously, trying to find the right words to say to Shiki. "And he was the one that told me it was about time we started thinking of each other in a different light. I don't hate him, and considering that none of the other guys in the Moon Dorm ever notices me, why should I not say yes to him?"

"Is that what you really believe?"

"What?"

"That none of the other guys in the Moon Dorm ever notice you?"

Rima looked away, but Shiki caught the glimpse of sadness in her expression, "I share a room with Ruka. Who would be interested in me when they can stare at Ruka?"

Shiki felt a little uncomfortable. "Is this seriously what girls think of themselves? Don't they know that they don't have to be Ruka in order to be considered as pretty?" He paused, "And quite frankly, I believe you're just as beautiful as she is or…" Shiki trailed off.

Rima smiled up at him. "Thanks Shiki." She bit her lips. "But, I'm not going to regret my decision with Ichijou. He's the first guy that's ever told me he's wanted me…as more than a friend, I mean. And, to tell you the truth, I was really surprised. I didn't think someone like Ichijou would even bother looking at someone like me."

Shiki rolled his eyes silently in his mind, "Believe me, I didn't think so either."

Rima smiled a little, "I want to make him as happy as possible. That's another reason why I agreed to this. And I respect him enough as a person to date him. But I don't believe we're going to be serious about each other."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that…" she lowered her voice so Ichijou wouldn't overhear, "Even though I love Ichijou as a friend, I don't think I see him the same way he sees me."

Shiki raised an eyebrow at this, "Oh? You already like someone else?"

"No!" Rima quickly interrupted, "Well, I don't know." She blushed, which only made her look cuter, "I guess so, but I don't think he see me the same way I see him."

"Oh." Shiki didn't dare to let his hopes up, "He's better than Ichijou? I can't imagine who else that can be."

Rima shook her head, "He's someone very special to me so I can't tell you. If the secret leaks, he might not even be willing to be friends with me anymore."

"So you're close to him?"

"In many ways."

"Do I know him?"

Rima hesitated, "Um, yes, you do."

Shiki felt like he was being slapped by Rima's words again. He felt 99.9% sure that the person who Rima was in love with was him.

From behind Shiki, Ichijou sighed loudly, "Come on now, children, we're going to be late for class."

**XkurochanX**

Shiki had always hated walking to class due to the lingering of the sun in the sky, but he was especially not looking forward to this evening. Usually, he would walk alongside Rima who would at least still provide him with breakfast, but now that she was dating Ichijou, who else was there left to talk to him? He felt his feet getting heavier as he trudged in the back of the Night Class, watching all the beautiful night class students walking in front of him.

He had to admit, he was desperately lonely without Rima. As he looked up, he saw Rima laughing at one of Ichijou's jokes. Again, the twist of jealousy in his heart made him clench his jaw. They looked perfect together; their height matched each other's, their eyes contrasted each others, and even their hair had the same bright color to it. He himself…he was disgusted at how wrong he was for Rima. For the first time in his life, Shiki felt hopelessly lost. Where was Rima when he needed her? He had always had her by his side to comfort him, to talk to him about his problems; now, he had no one.

As they entered class, Shiki watched as Ichijou put an arm around Rima and tucked her into him. Rima was obviously surprised by his suddenly gesture of affection but she didn't mind him and therefore allowed Ichijou to rest his arm on her.

Shiki tasted the burning sensation boiling from his stomach again. He felt an overwhelming impulse to push Ichijou out the window…maybe a few hundred times would be enough to satisfy his envy. Shiki was a very territorial and spoiled as a child; if he wanted something, he was bound to have it sooner or later. As he was focusing to control the violent thoughts that passed through his mind, a hand from behind suddenly tapped him on his arm and Shiki heard Kain's far away voice asking him if he was okay.

Shiki tore his eyes away from his two best friends and seated himself next to Kain and Aidou. "I would be better if we didn't have class today."

Kain raised an eyebrow, "Damn, never seen you like this before. You must really like Rima, huh? If you liked her so much, why didn't you just ask her out before?"

"I don't like…"

"Cut the crap Shiki. You're not going to fool anyone with that white lie."

Shiki sighed. It would be pointless to lie to Kain, and he had to admit, it was nice talking to someone supportive once in a while. "I didn't ask her out before because I didn't want to ruin our friendship."

"Well, does she like you?"

Shiki hesitated, "I don't know. She said to me earlier today that she's in love with someone who she's afraid to confess to."

Kain snorted, "Well, that's basically saying the same thing as 'I love Senri Shiki'."

"How do you know she was talking about me?"

Kain gave Shiki a wry smile, "I think the entire Night Class knows that the two of you like each other as more than just friends."

"But Rima's dating Ichijou now," Shiki mumbled bitterly.

Kain thought for a second. "So you really really like her?"

Shiki didn't understand his only feelings until Kain pointed them out and seeing Ichijou and Rima laughing together made his heart realized his love for his best friend even more, "Yes."

"Do you want to drink her blood?"

A brief pause.

Shiki had never considered this before, but the sudden thought of Rima's blood made his mouth water. He wanted it. He wanted it so badly his throat was going dry. "…yes…" Shiki croaked.

"Seeing her with Ichijou hurts you, doesn't it?" Kain questioned gently.

"Yeah," Shiki sighed quietly.

Kain fingered through his hair with his right hand. "Then you're as good as in love with her; I don't get how you never noticed before. That's how I usually feel when I see Kaname-sama with Ruka."

"I'm sorry."

"No worries. But unlike me, your girl actually likes you deep down inside. Ruka…I think I've just given up on her."

"Why?"

"I know for sure that she definitely likes me as a friend, and nothing more. She would sometimes come to me just to complain about Kaname-sama."

Shiki frowned, "That's so cruel. How do you manage it?"

Kain shrugged, "It's not her fault. I don't think she knows about me and my problems."

They were both silent for a while, thinking about the girls they yearn to be theirs.

"So Kain…"

"Hmm?

"What do you think I should do, in my case, I mean."

"I'm not the expert on love. If you want to discuss serious problem, try talking to Ruka."

"Well, I obviously can't do that since they live in the same room."

Kain shrugged, "Well, in that case, why don't you just 'talk' to her?"

"What do you mean?"

Kain gave Shiki a too-innocent look. "If Ichijou steals your girl, why don't you just steal her back?"

* * *

_Questions? Comments? Reviews?_


	3. Night Blooming

**Chapter Three: Night Blooming**

Shiki stared back at Kain stupidly. The look on his face was enough to make Kain laugh out loud. What the older vampire in front of him said did make sense, and he was the one that had more experience with relationships. Why hadn't he thought of it before?

"Do…er…you use this tactic a lot with Ruka and Kaname-sama?"

Kain shrugged, "Well, Kaname isn't exactly interested in Ruka and Ruka doesn't like me so I guess it's different in my case."

Shiki hesitated and then shook his head, "No. What if Rima really did like Ichijou? I mean, I know she loves someone else, she's already admitted that herself. But if she's happy the way she is with Ichijou, then I wouldn't play any part of this equation."

Kain shrugged, "Well, you can't know until you try, right?"

"And how do you propose I go about doing that?" Shiki frowned.

"I'm sure you can come up with something, Shiki. I mean, seriously. You invented Pocky and you're afraid to talk to a girl?"

"I'm pretty sure inventing food is easier than talking to Rima," Shiki mutter under his breath.

Kain rolled his eyes. "Okay, well, let's start with the basics. What do you think of this situation? I mean, what do you think of Rima and Ichijou dating?"

Shiki thought about Kain's question and tried to find a profound answer that wasn't too obvious. "Well, I'm jealous of Ichijou since he's with Rima."

"Go on."

"But…" Shiki struggled to voice his thoughts, "I definitely would cared about her happiness more than my own. I mean, if Rima is content with Ichijou, then I would prefer to have her happy rather me trying to meddle around so she would pay attention to me."

Kain raised an eyebrow, "Hmm, I think you've fallen hard for her."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's very rare that I hear a vampire so in love that they put their partner's happiness above their own." Kain looked over Shiki silently and sighed, "So, you would… probably back off from their relationship to let yourself suffer silently?"

"If that's what Rima wants."

"And what if she wants you?"

Shiki caught his breath, "Then I will give her the option of being with me." But he didn't dare let himself hope.

Kain nodded knowingly. "Class is about to start. I would wait sometime after class to talk to her."

"Okay." Both of them turned to face the front of the classroom.

"Hey Kain."

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

The lesson was an absolute torture. Shiki hated it beyond words. Throughout the hour and half he sat in that room, he felt like he was going to suffocate; there was so much tension in the air that he could hardly breathe.

Ripples of pain washed over him as these thoughts passed through his mind in. Never before in his life had he had this feeling of insecurity and Shiki was definitely not used to it. Slowly and hesitantly (and feeling like quite the stalker), Shiki constantly tilted his head to glimpse Rima and Ichijou out of the corner of his eyes. Ichijou's movements were definitely too intimate and his body was far too close to Rima's for Shiki's likings. Shiki gritted his teeth and cussed at himself for letting jealousy rule over his thoughts again.

Shiki swallowed hard as desires and impulses flooded him. _He_ wanted to sit next to Rima right now instead of Kain (not that he was saying it was bad sitting next to Kain). _He_ wanted to wrap an arm around her waist to pull her closer. _He_ wanted to play with her pigtails and silver earrings. _He_ wanted to have her fingers entwine _his_ and see her blush as _he_ brushed _his_ fangs on her wrist. Shiki winced, knowing that none of these desires would ever be met. He pushed away thoughts of devouring Rima's blood before trying to focus on the teacher at the front of the room.

It was during the fourth class of the night that Shiki couldn't control himself anymore. He told the teacher that he wasn't feeling well and excused himself out of the room. He didn't have a destination in mind, but anywhere was better than where he could see Rima and Ichijou.

Subconsciously, Shiki found himself drifting towards the gardens behind the school. It was Rima's favorite place to go with him after classes. There were white lilies in the pond at the edge of the garden and tulips of all different colors that grew around the small path. To his left, there was a field of daisies and clovers to which he let himself drop onto and close his eyes. The smell of the flowers around him in the night air was calming him down, but it also reminded him of the perfume that Rima would always wear.

"No," Shiki told himself, "I have to keep my mind off of her."

But everything around him reminded him of _her._ It was like there wasn't a single place where they haven't been together; all his memories were of her. He remembered that she had picked a daisy from this very field once and had played that silly game girls always played with the flowers.

"_Love me, love me not, love me, love me not…" Rima dropped the petal-less flower back onto the field. Then she turned to Shiki with a small smile, "Oh well, I guess he's not really into me today."_

"_Who are you thinking of loving you, Rima?" Shiki asked._

"_He's a very special friend of mine. I guess I've always been in love with him, but he doesn't really notice me."_

"_That's sad. I'm pretty sure he's come around to liking you someday."_

_Rima laughed, "I hope so, but he's different from all the other vampires." _

_Shiki met her eyes, "Oh? In what way?"_

_Rima shrugged, "I pretend like I don't have any feelings towards him except friendship but he'll always think of me as a friend."_

"_Who is it? You should tell Senri at least." Shiki made a puppy-face._

"_Why don't you guess?" Rima teased a little._

"_Okay, fine. Does he go to Cross Academy or do we model with him?"_

"_Both."_

"_Ha! I knew it! It's Takumi-kun."_

_But Rima had never answered his guess, "You're such a silly boy Shiki. Come on, I want to show you the roses I grew."_

Now that Shiki recalled this conversation, he knew that one Rima had in mind wasn't Takumi-kun. Rima specified that the person she liked was a 'special friend', and Takumi didn't even bother to talk to Rima in school. They modeled once in a while together, but that was the only time they would ever be seen together. Then, the only person that fit all of Rima's descriptions was…

"Was that someone…me?" Shiki whispered to himself. "Could she have possibly wanted me?" He bit his lips until he drew out blood, "But she chose Ichijou instead."

Shiki's mind argued against him. Rima didn't 'choose' Ichijou because…Shiki never offered her a second choice. And now that she had left him, it was as bad as carving a hole in his heart. Rima was his poison, slowly spreading throughout his body, paining it, numbing it. He found such natural actions, such as breathing, hard to do without her.

There was the sound of a snapping branch over Shiki's head and he instantly jumped up and retreated into his defensive position. In the pale moonlight, he saw her slim, model form above him with deep concern carved on her face.

Rima jumped off of the tree and stepped towards him. "Shiki, ditching class isn't the right way to go. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Rima looked like she was about to roll her eyes. "Don't lie to me. You're sweaty and pale. And your senses are so sluggish that you didn't even notice that I'd been here, watching you for the last five minutes?"

"Rima, stalking people isn't the right way to go." Shiki tried to mimic her.

That got him a glare from Rima. "Haha, very funny Senri." She never called him Senri…unless she wanted to get his attention or she was disappointed in him. The latter was most likely this case in this situation.

Rima took a step towards him and her face became serious. Shiki tried to take a step back only to find himself cornered into a large fir. He scowled. Out of all the places he could back away from Rima, he had chosen the one tree in the entire garden. Fuck…

"Shiki, I'm tired of this. You've been avoiding me all day. I thought we were supposed to be best friends. Aren't best friends supposed to protect each other?"

Shiki didn't want to meet her gaze. "I don't know. If you're with Ichijou, I didn't want to intrude on your privacy."

The orange-haired girl raised an eyebrow. "Is this just about me and Ichijou then? Don't try lying your way out of this." She warned him and the worried expression returned to her face, "Please, won't you tell me what's on your mind? You looked like you choked on a blood tablet tonight."

Shiki didn't say anything, but he looked over Rima's head, no longer willing to meet her eyes.

"I thought we were best friends. That means you should tell me how you feel about…you know," Rima whispered. Her voiced was carried on the wind, making it more chilling than usual.

Again, Shiki returned Rima his emotionless shrug. "Trust me, it's nothing. I'm just being stupid, as usual." He then tried to laugh off the whole situation and side-step Rima, but she didn't buy it and moved in his way.

"Why won't you tell me how you feel?" Her voiced was edged with gentle sternness.

Silence.

"Shiki? Why won't you tell me anything anymore?" She hesitated, looked away, and then looked back at him, "Has what happened between Ichijou and me really change you that much? Are we not friends anymore?"

"We can still be friends if you want."

"'If I want'? Do _you_ not want to be friends anymore?" There was a pained expression on Rima's face. "Can you at least tell me what I did wrong?"

Shiki buried his face in his arms and let himself sink onto the grass, "I said it's nothing. And it's not your fault."

Rima sank down on the grass patch next to him. "Bullshit, I'm calling your bluff." She began to play with the petals of the nearest flower, "Okay, so since this is obviously my fault, can you at least tell me what I can do to make you feel better?"

Of course, that was her typical response. Shiki almost wanted to scream; yes there was something she could do. She could break up with Ichijou and return to his side! She could wrap her arms around him and kiss him while telling him how much she needed him instead of Ichijou. But voicing those words would betray his hidden feelings for Rima and it would also make him sound like a complete idiot. So he simply shook his head.

"Shiki…" the frustration of the situation was erupting from her voice. "Shiki," she tried again, "You are one of the most important people in my life. It really hurts me to know that you are suffering from something caused by me while I stand here and can't do anything about it."

Shiki sighed hopelessly. He knew Rima wasn't planning to drop this subject. "Rima…" Shiki reached out and began to play with her hair like they always did when they were younger. "Rima, about Ichijou…"

"Yes?"

Deciding that he had already said too much, Shiki decided to test his temerity. "Are you…are you happy with him?"

"Am I happy with him?" Shiki held his breath as he awaited for Rima's answer. If she said 'yes', then Shiki wouldn't have any chance of winning her back.

Rima's eyebrows curved beautifully. "Why would you ask something like that, Shiki?"

Shiki paused, but his eyes were sincere when he answered her. "What if Ichijou's not the only one that's in love with you?"

Rima frowned in naïve confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What if there are other guys out there that want to date you just as badly as Ichijou?"

Rima let out a small laugh. "I wish. I'm not nearly as pretty as Ruka, so I don't think any of the guys in the Night Class would ever be interested in me…well, except Ichijou. But even him, there must be some pretext that he's not telling me."

"Is that what you seriously think?"

Rima shrugged, "Shiki, there is a profusion of beautiful girls here, and I pale in contrast. I'm probably considered lucky to catch Ichijou-sama's attention."

"That's not true—."

"You want to hear a story, Shiki?" Rima interrupted, and there was nothing for Shiki to do except to nod. "I have been in love with a guy in the Night Class for eleven years."

"Eleven years?"

"Yeah." There was a small, but sad smile playing on Rima's lips, "And in those eleven years that I've known him, he has never looked at me as more than a friend. No, seriously, he didn't even bother to give me chocolates on Valentine's Day."

A wave of guilt hit Shiki now that he knew who Rima was referring to. "Maybe he just didn't like to show his emotions?"

Rima shook her head, "No, that's not it. During out first weeks in the Night Class, he was obsessed about Ruka and Mei-chan."

The color began to rise in Shiki's cheeks as he remembered himself talking about girls who he thought were attractive with Rima and Ichijou after the first night of introductions.

"_Ichijou, who's that girl with the blonde hair?" Shiki motioned with his head in Ruka's direction._

"_That's Souen Ruka," Rima answered him from behind. "She shares a dorm with me."_

_Ichijou smiled, "She's pretty, isn't she?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_It's just too bad she already has someone else in mind." Now both Ichijou and Shiki were directing dreamy looks toward the female vampire._

"_Really? Who?"_

"_Kaname-sama."_

_Shiki shrugged and looked away then, "Of course. Oh well, she's probably not my type anyways. But that girl over there…" He pointed to a petite female vampire with raven black hair and light green eyes, "She's hot."_

_Rima rolled her eyes, "I don't know why I'm even friends with both of you."_

"_Aww…" Shiki pulled Rima into his arms, "Look who's jealous…" Even though Rima knew Shiki was teasing her, she still turned bright red._

"_Get off, jerk." But Shiki knew Rima liked it when he did that._

"_I'll tell you a secret," Shiki whispered in Rima's ear, "No matter how attractive the girls are here, I think you're the most beautiful of them all."_

_Rima turned even redder, if that was possible for a vampire. "Oh shut up," she muttered under her breath. _

Shiki combed his hair with his fingers nervously, "Ruka and Mei-chan are attractive, but don't you think your friends were just joking?"

"Yes, but my point being that he _is_ interested in other girls here, not me."

"You can't know he's not into you."

"I don't think—."

Shiki cut her off this time, "I think he might like you more than you know." He met her gaze and held it this time.

"What do you mean—oh…" Rima suddenly stood up and took a step away from Shiki. "Are you trying to say that…? You know?"

"Yes."

The pink flush in Rima's cheeks could be seen in the moonlight now. "Are you saying that you…?"

Shiki also stood up now and looked at her with fervor. "Yes."

Rima cupped her cheeks, trying to cool them, which Shiki thought was adorable, "I thought I was the only one that felt that way and that I was being completely irrational in liking you and everything. If I'd only known earlier…" The shock of the news made Rima feel like she was just randomly blabbing now. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't realize how I felt about you before. Then Ichijou came and I…" He trailed off, not knowing how to express his anguish at Ichijou and Rima dating.

Shiki stood up now and felt a new blossom of hope within him, "The only reason I have been avoiding you lately is because I want you to be happy with Ichijou. But now…Rima, will you consider…us?" He reached for her arm but she took a step away from him. What little hope that had awakened within him before was instantly crushed.

"I don't know, Shiki" Rima whispered. Now it was her who refused to look into Shiki's eyes.

A hurt whisper escaped his lips, "Why?"

Rima was shaking her head, "I can't…I can't hurt Ichijou. I mean, I know he's our friend and everything, but I don't want to be in the middle of a love triangle. Because in the end, I'd just manage to get confused and then I'll lose both you and Ichijou."

Shiki nodded stiffly, feeling as if his brain was finding comprehension to be a difficult task at the moment.

Rima looked like she was ready to cry, "I'm really sorry Shiki…"

Somehow, Shiki managed a sad smile. "It's okay." His voice sounded hoarse in his own ears, "As long as you're happy with Ichijou, I think I'll be fine." There was nothing else to say. He had excused himself from class in order to make himself feel better; however, the night stroll seemed to have taken an opposite effect as he left Rima standing there by herself in the blooming garden.

* * *

_Rima is adorable! And I love Shiki...too bad he's already taken. Haha! Please review!_


	4. Two Lonely Lovers

**Chapter Four: Two Lonely Lovers  
**

Shiki met Kain again on his way back to the Moon Dorms as the Day Class began getting ready for their classes. It wasn't hard to spot Kain since he was usually the only one in the Night Class that was approaching 6'5" and that his annoying cousin attracted all the attention of the Day Class girls.

As Shiki approached them, he heard Kain scowling at Aidou, "Shut up you idiot! I don't want Kaname-sama to suspend me again just because I have to take care of you!"

Ruka, who was walking alongside Kain rolled her eyes, "Some of us still need to grow up around here."

"Are you referring to yourself, Ruka?" Aidou shot back at her.

"Hanabusa," Kain warned, "watch yourself if you want to sleep peacefully tonight."

As soon as Kain noticed Shiki, Ruka took off to walk next to Kaname and Aidou went back to flirting with the human girls.

"So?" Kain began the conversation, "Did you and Rima get a chance to talk?"

"Yeah, she found me in the garden tonight."

Kain chuckled, "Ha, I didn't buy it when she said she needed to go to the bathroom and never came back."

Shiki looked among the Night Class students, "Is she still gone?"

"Yeah."

"But Ichijou is still here."

"She probably went up ahead with Ruka."

Silence.

Kain cleared his throat, "So, did you discuss the…um, situation?"

Shiki scratched the back of his head, "Yeah…"

Kain looked at him and sighed, "I'll assume it didn't go as planned tonight?"

Shiki slouched in his seat. "Yeah. Rima doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. I mean, she knows I like her now, but she doesn't want to have something between the two of us since she's already dating Ichijou."

Kain looked ahead at Ruka, "Too bad you didn't get there first."

"Yeah…" And the memories from the conversation Ichijou had last night with him flooded in his mind. Was it possible that Ichijou did this on purpose? Was his friend really cruel enough to use his only weakness against him? And what if Ichijou and Rima stay together…forever?Shiki gagged. That's probably when he starts thinking about moving out of the country.

Shiki and Kain both stayed silent in their own thoughts. Shiki rubbed his face in his hands as if stressed or tired. "I just didn't know that I actually cared about Rima, you know, that way before. And by the time I do actually feel something for her, it's too late."

Kain smiled sadly at Shiki, "What can I say? That's how people usually find out they're in love. They're fine until they see their friends with someone else." There was a slight pause and then Kain asked, "How long have you two known each other?"

Shiki chuckled, "Human or vampire years?"

"Vampire."

"Then I would say around eleven years. I first met Rima when our mothers hired the same tutor for our lessons and we somehow ended up sharing the lesson time." Shiki smiled at the memory.

"Yeah…that's what happened with me and Hanabusa, except we didn't fall in love." Kain added in a sarcastic tone.

Shiki laughed, "I can barely imagine you and Aidou sharing the same room together. How do you manage it?"

"Hundreds of years of practice, and threats to burn up his stuffed animals if he doesn't leave me alone."

Shiki laughed again; he was beginning to find an amusing friend in Kain, who he always believed to be too close to Kaname to even bother with the likes of him. "So…what about you and Ruka? When did the two of you meet?"

Kain scratched the back of his head and tried to think. "Er…I'm not sure. I think I've known Ruka all my life. We were practically born and raised together."

"When did you first…um, start liking her?"

"When I first met her." Kain didn't hesitate to answer this question. "My mother was giving me a timeout because idiot-Hanabusa fell out of a tree…"

Shiki interrupted Kain, "That doesn't make any sense. Why did you get a timeout for something that Aidou did?"

Kain rolled his eyes, "Who knows? My life has been this way since I was born. Basically, if Hanabusa gets into trouble, it would be my fault because I _let _him do it."

Shiki felt bad for Kain for not getting the girl of his dreams and having to deal with an idiot for a cousin. "Okay, so how did you meet Ruka?"

_Kain stood by himself at the corner of the dark room. He was so mad that he almost had to keep himself from setting the entire house on fire. "It's not fair," he muttered to himself under his breath, "I am always blamed for Hanabusa's stupidity. Now he's perfectly fine, playing with the Souen family and I'm stuck here." He could feel his eyes begin to fill with tears and he had to bite down on his lips to keep himself from crying. _

_Suddenly, he sensed another presence approaching the room, a new scent, one he didn't recognize before…_

"_What are you doing here?" A small girl with light blonde hair entered the room shyly. "Everyone else is playing outside already."_

"_Mama is putting me on timeout, so I can't go outside and play." Kain looked down, ashamed._

_The girl put a finger to her lips, "Well, we can play something in here. I'll go get us some cake and we can have a tea party!"_

_The girl left before Kain could utter a syllable of complaint or thanks and returned with a platter full of desserts and a china tea set. There was also a stuffed animal under each of her arms. Kain quickly went over to help her relieve of her load. _

"_So," the girl began, "This is Mr. Raspberry and this is Sprinkles. My name is Souen Ruka, what's yours?"_

"_Kain Akatsuki."_

"_Well Akatsuki, here is a piece of cake and a cup of tea. Enjoy." Kain ate the small piece of cake whole and drained his cup._

"_That's not tea; it's just hot water!"_

_Ruka shot him a glare. "What are you talking about Akatsuki? Of course it's tea! The liquid came from a teapot, right?"_

_Kain, afraid of losing his new friend, went along with the blatant lie which brought a smile to Ruka's lips. _

"_So Akatsuki, would you like some more tea? Or would you like another piece of cake?"_

Shiki had an incredulous look on his face, "So you like her because she gave you cake and hot water?"

Kain gave Shiki a glare and then softened his eyes, "No. I liked her because she was willing to take care of me and play with me when no one else would. Of course, that all changed when we met Kaname-sama."

"I'm sorry."

Kain pulled the heavy door to the Moon Dorm open and motioned for Shiki to go on ahead. "Yeah, I don't know how long I've yearned for Ruka to look at me the same way she looks at Kaname-sama. And I know what you're basically going through. I mean, I want Ruka to be happy too, but I sometimes wonder why she can't just be happy with me. Kaname-sama doesn't even bother to treat her right, and if…if she were somehow able to like me, I swear, I'd treat her ten times better than how Kaname-sama has been treating her." There was such deep passion in his voice that Shiki felt like his problem was incomparable to Kain's.

"Yeah…" Shiki forced a small laugh, "Until then, both of us are just stuck here."

There was a brief moment of silence between the two of them, and then Shiki asked the question that was hovering over both of the guys' minds, "So…do you think that someday they'll be able to, I don't know, come around?"

"With Rima, probably."

"Why not Ruka?"

"Because Rima likes you and you are able to reciprocate that feeling. Sooner or later, she's going to realized that she's not as happy when she's with Ichijou as when she is with you. With Ruka…well, the only way she's going to like me is if Kaname-sama command her to like me."

"I don't think—."

"Shiki," Kain cut off his contradition, "You honestly don't know Ruka. She has been in love with Kaname-sama since she first laid eyes upon him. And do you know what it feels like when she complains to me about him? To her, I am her best friend. And there's no way I'm going to risk that friendship so that there might be that sliver of possibility that she might like me more than Kaname."

Shiki didn't answer. This was way too touchy of a subject for him to introduce his opinions.

But Kain continued, "When Kaname-sama is around, I don't think she even remembers who I am." His fists tightened, "But like her, I am not even looked twice by the person who I adore."

Shiki didn't know what to say. Compare to the complications between Kain and Ruka, Rima and his problem seemed to be child play. "Why don't you just give up on Ruka?"

Kain raised an eyebrow at Shiki, "It seems so much easier to say it than to actually do it. Tell me Shiki, why don't you just 'give up' on Rima? Can you actually do that?"

"No."

"Why?"

Shiki hesitated, "Because Rima's Rima. And as long as she's living in this world, I can't control myself; I want to protect her and to love her."

"Exactly."

They were both silent now, with too much on their minds to concentrate on the last lecture of the day [night]. Shiki now felt bad about complaining his problems to Kain when what he had to go through every day was probably one-tenth of the pain that Kain had to go through. He always thought Kain to be a strong, brotherly figure, but now understanding the other lonely, and self-denying side of him, he felt like both of them had developed a new form of respect for each other.

Shiki silently followed Kain up the stairs until they reached the hallway divide between the boys' rooms and girls' rooms.

Shiki looked at Kain questioningly, to which Kain answered, "I'm going to go check up on Ruka. You can head back to the boys' side if you want."

Shiki smiled genuinely, "It's okay. I'll come with you."

The two followed the crowd of girls to their side of the dorm and Kain reached out to knock on Rima and Ruka's door.

The door flew open before Kain's knuckles came for the second knock and a disheveled Ruka looked out from the room.

Kain's face frowned in concern immediately, "Ruka," he grabbed her around the waist and ushered her inside to talk while Shiki followed, "What's wrong? Did Kaname-sama do something to you?"

Ruka shook her head, "No…Rima…I don't know where she is. I haven't seen her all night and I've tried calling her phone. I've even looked for her out in the courtyard and throughout the entire dorm. Something's wrong. Something happened to her when she went out to talk to…" She spotted Shiki in the door way and gave him a dirty look. "You! You said something to her, didn't you?"

Shiki was frozen in place, trying to process the panic of this situation all at once.

Ruka shoved Kain aside and strolled toward Shiki, "What did you tell her?"

Shiki was still too shocked to answer.

"You know, if something bad happens to her, it would be all your fault!" Ruka's eyes were deadly now, "Do you know how much she cares for you?"

Shiki dropped his gaze and stared down at Ruka's blue slippers. "I didn't know until yesterday night."

"Well, if you really cared for her, you should tell us what you said to her tonight," Ruka's words were sharp and her eyes were bright. Kain rubbed her left arm to calm her down.

"I told her that I liked her, that I had feelings for her."

"And then?"

"Then I left her in the garden."

"You left her in the garden by herself?" Ruka's voice rose a couple of octaves, "What kind of gentleman are you?"

"I wasn't thinking right back then, okay?" Shiki met her gaze with his eyes, "I didn't think there would be any issues with safety in Cross Academy."

Seeing Shiki's frustrated look, Ruka softened her voice, "There's usually not a problem, unless you're in the garden."

"What do you mean?"

"If you look at the border of the cement wall that surrounds the garden, there's a tiny strip along the western wall that allows people from the outside to sneak in." Ruka suddenly looked embarrassed as she continued, "Akatsuki and I used to use that escape to go out into the world without permission."

"So you're saying Rima could have been abducted?"

"Quite possibly."

"Shit," Shiki turned around and already started sprinting out before Kain caught his arm.

"Ruka and I will come with you. There might be trouble."

* * *

_Muwahaha! And I'm stopping right here! Wanna see what happened to Rima-chan? Wanna see Shiki be the chivalric hero?_

_Review!_


	5. Hostage! 1

_Wow_**! **_It's been so long since I've updated this story! But I'm really excited for all of you to read this chapter! :) _

**_P.S. This follows the plot of the revised version of my story. So if you haven't read this story in July 2011, be sure to read the first four chapters again before read this or it won't make any sense!_**

_Thanks for all of your patience, guys!_

**Kuro-chan**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Hostage! 1**

_Two weeks later…_

"You've already tried to take my blood once, you know?" Shiki was still struggling to prevent Rima from drinking his blood, but unfortunately, he was losing the battle.

Rima brushed her fangs along Shiki's veins and then kissed the hollow spot right below his jaw line. "Hmm? I don't remember…"

Shiki stroked Rima's hair, "That's because you were drugged."

Rima was barely paying attention as she licked the spot on Shiki's skin where she wanted to sink her fangs into. Shiki sighed. It wasn't in his nature to refuse Rima anything. So if she desired his blood, she was going to get it no matter how much Shiki was afraid of Rima's reaction to his lustful thoughts.

Carefully, Rima slid her fangs underneath Shiki's skin and began to take little sips of his blood. A groan of pleasure escaped Shiki's lips and his grip around Rima's waist got tighter.

Rima took a couple gulps of blood and she could feel the warm sweetness flow down her throat, pacifying its dryness. Then Shiki's thoughts began to flow into her mind. She saw herself from his eyes, looking up at him and laughing. She saw herself splayed out on his bed, breathing heavily and looking at him with hazy eyes. Then there was a memory of the two of them in a limo which puzzled Rima because she didn't remember this image.

Rima tore her lips away from Shiki's neck. "What memory was that, Shiki?"

Shiki instinctively licked off the blood that remained from Rima's feed. "That's when you first tried to take blood from me. Remember what I said about you being drugged back then?"

"Why were you holding back then?"

Shiki looked away from Rima's face, "Because you were still with Ichijou and I didn't want you to regret doing something with me when you were basically unconscious."

Rima felt a part of her heart open. "So," she whispered, "You held back your desires in order to make me happy?"

Shiki shrugged. "I guess if you put it that way."

"Shiki."

"Hmm?"

"I love you. More than anything."

Shiki smiled and pulled Rima into his arms. "I guess the feeling is mutual then."

**XkurochanX**

_Two weeks ago…_

Shiki was waiting with Ruka right outside the gate for their limo. It wasn't long before Kain appeared at Ruka's side, "Permission to explore granted by Kaname-sama. We are to defend ourselves if attacked but we are not to initiate any fights."

Shiki nodded. He was hoping fighting wasn't going to be needed to solve this problem, but when Rima's scent was picked up by Ruka in the garden, she claimed that there was someone else with her. And the dirt trail in the garden indicated that Rima was probably dragged away by force. There were also burnt areas in the garden, which meant that Rima had used her lightning for whatever reason. Shiki clenched his fist. Whoever did this to Rima was going to pay.

**XkurochanX**

Rima was distraught and confused after talking with Shiki. She took deep breaths to try and clear her mind but found that she had no luck in succeeding. Shiki liked her, as more than just a friend. Shiki liked her and that's all that mattered right now. But no matter how much the two could reciprocate each others' feelings, they could never be together…well, at least not right now since she was already with Ichijou.

She was playing with the petals of a daisy she had plucked off when a man's voice from behind alerted her that she wasn't alone in the garden. How much had she concentrated on Shiki to let her guard down?

"Well, well, aren't you a pretty little vampire?"

The voice was ominous which made Rima jump up to her feet. Her natural vampire instincts kicked in and she crouched low, as if to attack.

There were three men altogether, one of which was bald while the other two wore hats to cover their faces. All three had on long dark cloaks either for protection or intimidation.

"What do you want?" Rima flicked her fingers together to create a spark of lightning. She hoped her voice had a little bit of threatening edge to it.

"We're vampires who are against the monarchial control of the Kuran clan. We're here to take vampires from his faction one by one." The bald man answered with an evil smirk on his face. "We watched you with the other boy earlier. It looks like your lover abandoned you."

Rima pointed at the bald man and a streak of blue lightning flashed towards him. "Don't you dare talk about Shiki." The bald man spun out of the way to avoid being hit by the deadly electric current.

The three men positioned themselves in a triangular formation to surround Rima. "Girl," one of the black-hooded vampires snarled, "We're professionals at this. You'll only make it harder if you resist." He pulled out an old-fashioned katana while his comrade took out a handful of black needles that were at least five inches long each. The bald man in front of Rima produced a terrifying-looking whip.

Rima jumped high in the air and threw three bolts of lightning at the intruders. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. As she was landing, the bald man, who was best at dodging Rima's lightning strikes, flicked his whip up to capture Rima's right wrist.

Without warning, Rima was thrown to the ground with such force that her head spun. She grabbed the end of the whip that was still wrapped around her wrist and sent a huge wave of blue lightning to the bald man. This time, he had nowhere else to dodge and fell to the ground with an agonizing scream.

Rima turned around in time to face her second intruder, the one wielding the katana. She grinned to herself; how many times did she practice her fighting skills against Ichijou? And this man, compared to Ichijou, was like child's play. She managed to dodge the deadly blade consecutively and kicked the man in the stomach while sending her lightning through her feet.

Suddenly, she felt a piercing pain explode from her left arm. "Shit," she muttered to herself, "I forgot." She plucked the deadly needle from her arm and could instantly feel her blood flowing down her sleeve.

The man in front of her smirked and aimed three more needles for her. Rima spun out of the way just in time and found that her movements were getting sluggish. "Damn it," she cussed, "those weapons must have been poisoned."

The man with the needles overheard her and chuckled, "Not poisoned, drugged." And he was right, because the ground beneath Rima began to spin as she made one last attempt to her electric currents. The man dodged her attacks easily. Rima felt another needle hit her right thigh as she fell on her right knee. As she stretched out her fingers to make a lightning wall for defense, the dreaded whip wrapped itself around her, locking her arms to her body. She was trapped, and there was no one around to help her.

"Shiki," she whispered weakly.

The bald man took out an injection needle from his coat pocket and pierced it into Rima's skin. "This will make you more obedient."

And everything went black.

**XkurochanX**

"Okay," Kain laid out the map in front of Ruka and Shiki in the limo, "Kaname-sama said that Rima's captors live in an abandoned warehouse right behind the movie theater downtown. Here," Kain drew out another sheet of paper with the blueprint of the warehouse, "is where they hold Rima captive. Since we don't know which specific room Rima is in, I think it would be best if we could split up once we get there."

Ruka sighed, "Splitting up isn't usually a good idea. I mean, these are simple Level C vampires, but they were able to take Rima away by force. That means they must have some type of vampire drug."

"Then what do you propose?" Kain asked gently.

"We go in as a team, kill some of these disgusting Level C's, and then get Rima."

"Do you know how long that will take?" Kain sighed, "Rima might be dead by then."

Shiki, who wasn't planning to join this conversation, decided that he had to interfere here. "I think Kain's idea is the best. We should try to complete the mission as fast as possible."

Ruka scowled, "But what if the two of you get hurt? What do you want me to do, call for backup? Boys are so stupid…so reckless!"

Kain smiled at her, "Not unless we have antidote."

"What?" Shiki and Ruka voiced each other.

"Don't be funny Akatsuki, where could you possibly have gotten antidotes?" Ruka asked in disbelief.

Kain shrugged, "Kaname-sama said we might need them."

Shiki frowned, "Well, why didn't you tell us that earlier?"

"I didn't think we were going to need them until Ruka brought up the fact that they might have drug and…I wanted to hear what Ruka's plans were going to be." Kain looked a little embarrassed as he held up three small glass containers. He proceeded to hand one to Ruka and another to Shiki, leaving the last one for himself.

"You are so silly Akatsuki," Ruka rolled her eyes as she took her glass, but she looked just as red as Kain. "Let's get this over with."

**XkurochanX**

Ruka approached the abandoned building from the eastern entrance. Shiki took the western side, and Kain decided to just barge in through the front door.

Ruka surveyed her surroundings as she approached the east door. Giving the door knob a turn, she found that it was locked…of course. But that wasn't going to stop Ruka. The vampire took out a small bottle of nail polish remover and nail polish. She coated the handle of the door with a thin layer of nail polish and then emptied the entire bottle of nail polish remover on the door. She sighed, "What a waste…"

She then took out a packet of matches and lit the door on fire. As soon as the fire hit the door handle, it blew itself in. "Works like a charm every time." Ruka reached through the hole where the door handle used to be and let herself in. Before she stepped a couple of feet into the room, she came face to face with a vampire holding long black needles in his hands.

The man sneered, "Another girl, slave to that idiot Kuran. Would you like to join your friend?"

Ruka answered calmly, "I have no intension of doing so unless it is to rescue her."

"How were you able to get through the door?" The man glowered at her, but there was real curiosity and disbelief in his eyes.

Ruka stared him down. "It involves the process of thermodynamics and the chemical reaction of toluene and acetone. However, I don't believe your brain is intelligent enough to handle thermochemical stoichiometry, so we don't need to worry about how the door blew in. What we do need to worry about is the fact that the door did blow in and the fact that I'm going to kick your ass." She knew that she shouldn't cuss, as a noble daughter of the Souen family, but the man in front of her had just insulted Kaname so she let herself throw out some bad words. Besides, she was going to kill him anyways so it wasn't like he was going to find a way to report her inappropriate language to her mother.

"Well aren't you the arrogant little bitch? What makes you so sure you can defeat me?"

Ruka gave him a deadly cold smile, "Because I can make your worst nightmare come true."

The room around the man began to shift and Ruka disappeared from his sight. There were swords, knives, and weapons of all kinds circling him in arbitrary patterns. Without warning, the weapons began to attack him from all directions. He threw out his needles, but to no success. The objects were ripping him to pieces and he couldn't do anything about it.

"What is this?" The man screamed, but he was cut off by a blade slicing through him. "Where are you bitch? Come out and fight!"

From the side, Ruka watched as the man's screams echoed in the room. Eventually, she saw him fall to the ground clutching his sides as if in pain. She approached him slowly and finished him off with a swift cut from her small vampire knife.

Ruka suddenly felt Kain's presence approach her from the room to her right. She tensed, in case she needed to defend herself from an oncoming intruder, but as Kain walked into the room with an abnormally large yawn, Ruka relaxed her muscles. "Goodness, you scared me."

Kain didn't look damaged at all. In fact, he looked like he was ready to go to sleep. "I just burned up like fifteen guys. These people really think they're able to wield katanas? Wait until Ichijou hears about this." He tried to stifle a yawn. "How many did you take out?"

Ruka looked embarrassed, "Um, one?"

Kain shrugged, "You create illusions and mind-control. Those aren't very combat-type powers."

"Gee, thanks."

"We'd better hurry and get Rima. Shiki's basically ready to blow up this entire warehouse; he's pissed off."

"Oh?"

Kain laughed a little, "You blew up the door handle to get in and I just kicked open the front door. Shiki used his blood whip and tore down the entire western wall."

Ruka sighed, "He needs to learn to be more subtle…and so do you. What are the two of you trying to do? Attract enemy to yourself?"

Kain shrugged again, "You girls have your way and we have ours. At least we get the job done, so don't complain."

* * *

_Okay, here's what pisses me off about writing fanfic stories: I have tons of people reading, adding my stories as favorites or alerts, but no reviews. Thus, I feel quite insulted. It takes me around five hours to write and edit each chapter and people refuse to spend 5 minutes to review. _

_If you read the story, please take the time to tell me what you think. I would always love to get feedbacks :)_

_P.S. I apologize for all the KainXRuka in the story! But I love them almost as much as I love ShikiXRima! :)_


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